Against The Odds

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Encore: USS Indianapolis: Disaster at Sea I Holding On | 3 Oct 01, 2024

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It’s been two days since U.S.S. Indianapolis sank, and the number of survivors is dwindling. They’re being picked off by sharks, and driven insane by sleep deprivation, dehydration, and saltwater poisoning. As they hope and pray for a rescue, they will encounter a new enemy that none of them could have imagined, even in their worst nightmares.

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Encore: USS Indianapolis: Disaster at Sea I Troubled Waters | 2 Sep 24, 2024

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The nine hundred men who survived the torpedo attack on the U.S.S. Indianapolis are either drifting in the sea, fighting strong currents and swells, or clinging to rafts. They’re at the mercy of the ocean, hundreds of miles from land, with dwindling supplies and no drinking water. And soon, they’ll have to confront a terrifying new challenge – shark attacks.

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Encore: USS Indianapolis: Disaster at Sea I Abandon Ship | 1 Sep 17, 2024

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In the final weeks of World War II, the Navy cruiser U.S.S. Indianapolis was attacked and sunk by a Japanese submarine in the middle of the Philippine Sea. The nine hundred survivors found themselves stranded in the middle of the open ocean, many without rafts or life vests, wondering when – or if – help was coming.

This is the story of the greatest sea disaster in U.S. naval history, and the courageous men who survived it.

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Piper Alpha: Oil Rig Disaster | A Survivor Remembers | 5 Sep 10, 2024

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Diver Ed Punchard loved his job and the people on Piper Alpha, even if it meant working on a noisy rig for weeks at a time, far out in the North Sea. Being part of a dive team meant everyone trained hard and relied on each other to stay alive. But nothing could have prepared Ed and his colleagues for what happened on July 6th, 1988. Today, Ed joins host Mike Corey to share his experience of the Piper Alpha disaster and its aftermath. Ed is author of Piper Alpha: A Survivor’s Story. He also made the documentary Paying For The Piper.

In this episode, we discuss suicide and depression. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 1-800-273-8255. The National Alliance on Mental Illness is available at 1-800-950-6264.

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Piper Alpha: Oil Rig Disaster | Collapse | 4 Sep 03, 2024

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At 10:52pm, Piper Alpha is hit by the biggest explosion yet. Soon, the rig begins to break apart and tumble into the ocean, dooming the men still trapped inside. Meanwhile, rescuers like Z-boat commander James McNeill risk their lives to pull men from the debris-strewn water beneath the burning rig.

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Piper Alpha: Oil Rig Disaster | Explosions | 3 Aug 27, 2024

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As the fire continues to rage on Piper Alpha, rescuers in small motorboats race to get workers off the burning oil rig. Diver Ed Punchard has his men climb down a rope to safety, while electrician Bob Ballantyne tries to lead his friends down a series of smoke-filled stairways. Then, when another huge explosion rocks the rig, some men are forced to leap into the ocean, or risk being burned to death.

Listen to Against The Odds on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/against-the-odds/ now.

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Piper Alpha: Oil Rig Disaster | Inferno | 2 Aug 20, 2024

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After an explosion rocks the Piper Alpha oil rig, a huge, smoky fire begins to spread, taking down the rig’s power supply and communications equipment. Workers hurry to their evacuation stations, and a state-of-the-art rescue ship, the Tharos, moves into position to battle the blaze and get men off the platform. But soon, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary fire.

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Piper Alpha: Oil Rig Disaster | The Leak | 1 Aug 13, 2024

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On July 6th, 1988, workers clock in to a typical night shift aboard Piper Alpha, the world’s largest offshore oil rig, in the North Sea off the coast of Scotland. Then, around 10 p.m., a series of mistakes leads to a gas leak and explosion. Soon, 226 men find themselves trapped on the burning platform, in what will become one of the deadliest man-made disasters in history.

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In Their Own Words: Bitten by a Rattlesnake | 1 Aug 06, 2024

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On a warm day in April 2017, Outside Magazine writer Kyle Dickman was hiking near Yosemite National Park with his family and infant son. But in an instant, the idyllic day turned south. Kyle felt a quick whap above his ankle, looked down and saw a diamond pattern in the grass. He'd been bitten by a rattlesnake. On this special episode of Against the Odds, Kyle shares the story of the race against time to save his life, and what his brush with death taught him about life, risk, and the meaning of family.

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Everest '96: Trapped in the Death Zone | Big Business | 5 Jul 30, 2024

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When Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay summited Mount Everest in 1953, high-altitude climbing was only done by the most elite mountaineers. But that changed in the early 1990s, when veteran climbers began leading amateur clients up the world’s tallest mountain for a hefty fee. Today, journalist Will Cockrell joins Host Cassie De Pecol to talk about the history of the Everest guiding industry – from the early Western-led companies to the Nepali-owned ventures today. Cockrell is the author of Everest, Inc.: The Renegades and Rogues who Built an Industry at the Top of the World.

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